In September 2012, a Boko Haram commander was killed in Madgali by Nigerian government forces, and 156 arrests were made as a part of "Operation Restore Sanity."[1]

The town was seized by Boko Haram in August 2014. In September 2014, residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika fled to mountainous areas and Mubi town, in the wake of a failed attempt by government troops to re-take the town from the insurgents.[2]